Yasser Medina Cinefilia Sep 18, 2026 6/10

It reflects certain experimental leanings of Russell, bolstered by William Hurt’s energetic performance, yet its surreal sci-fi horror narrative occasionally becomes uneven and relies heavily on gimmicky visual flourishes. [Full review in Spanish]

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Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl May 23, 2026 6/10

...may be taken as a warning about encroaching on customs you don’t understand and/or trying to isolate induced experiences from their cultural context.

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James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Dec 26, 2025 3/4

merges science fiction with heady counterculture drug-speak, producing an overheated mishmash in which technology and spirituality unlock the secrets of human evolution

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Frank J. Avella The Contending Dec 5, 2025 A-

...while the final cut of Altered States might not have been to Chayefsky’s liking, it’s certainly a fascinating and transfixing cinematic achievement.

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 16, 2025 2.5/4

The ending is risible -- I preferred it when this finale was later reconfigured and reused in a-ha’s music video for "Take On Me."

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Lawrence O'Toole Entertainment Weekly Oct 15, 2025 C+

As trashy entertainments go, this one’s sometimes pretty swell.

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David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Mar 28, 2024 3/4

...a slow-moving yet predominantly compelling drama...

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John Brosnan Starburst Jul 27, 2022

Altered States is a total cinematic experience that aims to work directly on the emotions but at the same time... it doesn't insult the intelligence while doing so.

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Jim Laczkowski Voices & Visions Nov 4, 2021

Altered States ignites some kind of fire that keeps the collective unconscious warm and the capacity for personal human inquiry ablaze. It's one of the best films that questions why we're here.

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Peter Sobczynski The Spool Dec 29, 2020

Even 40 years after its release, it boggles the mind that something like Altered States could have ever been produced in the first place, much less as an expensive A-level project for a major studio.

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Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News May 27, 2020 3.5/4

Exciting, powerful and frightening, this sci-fi action flick is a near-masterpeice.

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Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) Aug 22, 2019

Ken Russell's movie can be quickly forgotten. Many other horror movies arrive to our screens with more imagination and more modesty. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) Jan 19, 2018

A sensationalist head-trip, swirling us up in one man's desire to resurrect his "more primitive self," Altered States remains luridly intense.

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Richard Corliss TIME Magazine Aug 16, 2014

It opens at fever pitch and then starts soaring -- into genetic fantasy, into a precognitive dream of delirium and delight.

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Ian Nathan Empire Magazine Aug 16, 2014 3/5

It's got Russell's trademark eccentricity (read: slight bonkers-ness) all over it, which you may take as a warning or a recommendation.

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Alan Jones Radio Times Aug 16, 2014 3/5

Russell's razzle-dazzle hallucinogenic style certainly hits bullseye.

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Jon Fortgang Film4 Aug 16, 2014

Like much of Russell's work, Altered States is ostentatious and pretentious yet genuinely engaged with ideas and style.

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Simon Miraudo Quickflix May 29, 2013 4/5

Dynamite stylistic flourishes approximate the experience of taking mescaline with the Mad Hatter.

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